Murray defends spending

07 September 2006 03:07

Charlton Athletic chairman Richard Murray has defended his decision to hand new boss Iain Dowie a £12million summer transfer kitty.
The Addicks were known for their cautious approach in the transfer market during Alan Curbishley's long reign at The Valley, but gave Dowie the go ahead to splash out on Souleymane Diawara, Amady Faye, Djimi Traore and Andy Reid.
The free transfer arrival of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the loan signing of Scott Carson and new contracts for Darren Bent and Luke Young have also seen the wage bill climb significantly.
Murray told the South London Press: "We have shown we mean business by backing Iain Dowie in the transfer market.
"We have spent a large chunk of next season's budget as well, but we felt that it was a risk worth taking because it is a big season, bearing in mind the new, big-money Premiership TV deal comes in next year.
"A lot of the guys we have brought in are on big wages as well, but we are happy with the squad we now have."
He added: "We have taken on a lot of debt, certainly a lot more than in the past.
"But we feel that the debt is manageable and we wanted to ensure that we were competitive this season."